Woven-wire cloth and method of forming seams therein



Feb. 18, 1930. w WEBB 1,747,273

WOVEN WIRE CLOTH AND METHOD OF FORMING SEAMS THEREIN Filed June 6, 1927 3 vwem coz WWW/M Patented Feb. 18, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE NELSON W. WEBB, OF BEL-LEVILLE, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO EASTWOOD WIRE MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF BELLEVILLE, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY WOVEN-WIRE CLOTH AND METHOD OF FORMING SEAMS THEREIN Application filed June 6, 1927. Serial No. 196,703.

My invention relates to belts formed of wire fabric, such as the wire cloth belts used in paper-making machines, and more particularly to the seam between the ends of the fabric from which the belt is formed, and

the method of forming the said seam.

In forming such belts, it is customary to lace the opposite ends of the cloth together. Under the strain to which the seam is subjected, the lacing wire tends to pull the weft wires about which it passes out of position towards the end of the sheet. To prevent the tearing apart of the seam, it is sometimes customary to secure the end weft wire in place by whip-stitching the end of the cloth;

and it has been suggested that the same result be obtained by soldering the end weft wire in place. But, even where such expedients are employed, there is ordinarily an objectionable deformation of the fabric as the lacing wire is ordinarily passed about a weft wire inwardly of the end weft wire, for example the second, third, or fourth weft wire. This weft wire, not being secured in place, may be pulled out of position by the lacing wire, leaving enlarged openings behind it into which the fine paper stock is apt to be pulled bythe suction boxes of the paper-making machine. At times some of the stock will become lodged in the enlarged openings causing an objectionable marking of the paper. Where the end weft wire alone is soldered or brazed in place the adjacent weft wires are softened or annealed by the heat applied in soldering; and the wires about which the lacing extends are accordingly more readily deformed by the pull of the lacing wire. The said objections are especially serious with loosely woven fabric, such as fabric having a twill'weave.

My invention has for its object the provision of an improved seam whereby such objectionable deformation of the fabric is prevented. In accordance with this object the wire or wires about which the lacing passes are firmly secured to the intersecting wires.

The lacing wire which is hand-sewed, after the securing of the end weft wires, may, if

desired, also be secured to the wires intersected by it. According to one embodiment to form a seam, and

soldered, brazed, or welded to the wires it intersects. The weft wires to be soldered in place are preferably in the form of solder covered wires woven or inserted into the cloth. The lacing wire may be solder-covered wire to be secured by solder joints, or it may be a plain or uncovered Wire not secured by a metallic union, and because of the great strength of the union between the soldersecured weft wires it may be engaged about the end or terminal weft wire of the plurality of solder-secured weft wires Other objects, features, and advantages will appear more fuliy from the following detailed description and the appended claims. The accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification illustrates one embodiment of my invention. In the drawing the figure is a lan view of adjacent end portions of the f. liric connected by the seam.

The fabric shown in the drawing is formed of twill weaving, every other warp thread or wire passing alternately over two and then under two of the Weft threads or wires. This fabric as shown has woven-or inserted in the adjacent end portions thereof a plurality of weft wires 1, 2, 3 and 4 covered with a suitable solder, preferably a hard such as silver solder or brazing material. While a silver solder is preferred any suitable solder may be used, the word solder wherever referred to hereinafter being intended to include soft solder, hard solder, or brazing material, unless the contrary is expressly stated. Such solder covered or encased wires may be made by covering a wire of suitable material with a tubular casing of the solder and then drawing the wire whereby a very thin coating of the solder is provided on the wire. The wire fabric when used in pa er-Inaking machines is generally formed 0 brass or bronze or with the fibers running in one direction of brass and those at right angles thereto of bronze. Where the wires 1, 2, 3 and 4 are woven into the fabric, it is preferable to weave several weft wires formed of the same material as the body of the fabric in the cloth after the wires 1, 2, 3 and 4 have been woven therein to prevent the latter wires from coming loose efore they are soldered in osition. In making the scam the portion 0 the cloth between the solder covered wires and the end of the cloth is sheared off, leaving the solder covered wires at the end of the cloth as shown.

A lacing wire 6 connects the two cloth ends together. This wire may also be a solder covered wire like the wires 1, 2, 3 and 4.

.The lacing wire passes about weft Wires inwardly of the end weft wires, the lacing wire as shown passing around the third weft wire from the end of the cloth.

By applying a suitable flux and proper degree of heat to the solder covered wires, they are fixedly secured to the wires intersected thereby by an intimate metallic union.

The seam of my invention is strong and durable and permits the ready passage therethrough of the water from the paper stock while avoiding the objectionable lodging of particles of stock in the fabric, the openings etween the warp and weft wires being uniform and undistorted. Where the fabric is used as a belt in a paper-making machine, the opposite ends of a sheet of the wire fabric are brought together and joined by the seam.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is: r

1. In a wire cloth belt, a length of wove wire cloth comprising warp and weft wires, a plurality of spaced weft strands at each end of dlfierent characteristics from said warp and Weft wires comprising said length of cloth, engaged between the overlying and underlying warp wire ends, and comprising solder-coated wire connected to the warp wire ends by heat-producing solder joints formed from said solder coat, and a lacing wire connecting the ends of said cloth together to form a belt.

2. The method of forming a wire cloth belt comprising warp and Weft wires, which.

comprises roviding a plurality of s aced weft stran s at each end of a length 0 wire cloth, of different characteristics from said warp and weft wires comprising the length of cloth, and consisting of pro-solder coated wire, forming solder joints from said soldercoat at the points of intersection of said solder-coated weft strands with the warp strands by the ap lication of heat, and securing the two en s of the cloth together by a lacing wire to form a seam.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

NELSON W. WEBB. 

